Not Using Her Wheel?

[XQueenX]

Hello!

I recently adopted a hedgehog about a month ago, her name's Ryuk and I was told she's around six years old. In the month that I've owned her I've noticed that she doesn't use her wheel as much as I thought she would. She's very friendly and active and doesn't 'act old' so I'm not sure if I should be concerned or not. I know that she's awake at night because I can hear her running around and a lot of her stuff will be moved the next morning but her wheel is pretty loud and myself and other people in the house haven't heard her on it in a while - and when she does go on she doesn't use it for a long period of time. I washed her wheel last Friday (exactly a week ago) and there's no poop on it at all so she hasn't really used her wheel in about a week. She's not too cold so I know this isn't the problem. She's also not overweight.

Is she just old and not interested in using it? Should I be concerned or no?

[Kalandra]

It could just be normal for her. My experience with older hedgehogs really tends to vary from hedgehog to hedgehog. Some were always highly active, and while the distance they ran at night decreased they always used their wheel. Some were never big runners to begin with and quit using it completely as they got older. Without knowing what she was like as a young hedgehog it’s harder to determine if this is concerning or not. But typically yes, older, and at 6 she’s old, does equate to slowing down.

If you are concerned, a wellness check with a veterinarian is always a good idea with these older kids. Inquire about arthritis and other possible issues that could be causing her pain and not wanting to use the wheel. Just like us, they start to suffer from old age ailments and sometimes a little NSAID can greatly improve their quality of life.

Another item to consider is how tall is her wheel? I've seen older hedgehogs struggle with getting on their wheel but would trot along once on. For them, I added an additional layer or two of fleece to make the distance from floor to wheel a shorter step up.

I know you stated her temperature is fine, but have you tried it a little warmer? Sometimes as they get older they like it warmer than the standard.